What Do Lizards Eat? Complete Feeding Guide

Understanding the dietary needs of your pet lizard is essential for maintaining its health and longevity. Different lizard species have vastly different nutritional requirements, ranging from purely herbivorous to strictly carnivorous diets. The key to successful lizard ownership lies in researching your specific species and providing appropriate nutrition that supports growth, energy, and overall wellness.

Understanding Lizard Dietary Types

Lizards are incredibly diverse creatures with dietary preferences that reflect their natural habitats and evolutionary adaptations. The primary dietary categories include insectivorous, carnivorous, omnivorous, and herbivorous species. Each type requires distinctly different nutritional approaches to thrive in captivity.

Insectivorous Lizards

Insectivorous lizards primarily consume insects and other invertebrates as their main food source. Species in this category, such as anoles, rely almost exclusively on live prey items to meet their nutritional needs. These lizards require a varied diet of appropriately-sized insects to ensure complete and balanced nutrition.

Carnivorous Lizards

Carnivorous lizard species consume vertebrate prey as their primary diet. These lizards may be offered mouse or rat pups, adult mice and rats, chickens, and eggs, with prey size appropriately matched to the lizard species. Larger insectivorous lizards may also consume mouse pups and earthworms as protein sources.

Omnivorous Lizards

Omnivorous lizards require a balanced combination of both plant-based and animal-based foods. Species like bearded dragons and blue-tongued skinks thrive on diets that incorporate insects, vegetables, and fruits in specific proportions. This dietary flexibility allows omnivorous species to adapt to various food availability conditions.

Herbivorous Lizards

Herbivorous lizards are specifically adapted to ferment plant fiber in enlarged hindguts, utilizing microbial digestion in the cecum and colon. These species require plant-based diets to assure healthy gut function and should not be fed insects, vertebrate prey, or diets high in fruits, as these are low in fiber and inappropriate for herbivores.

Essential Insects and Live Prey

Live insects form the cornerstone of many lizard diets and should be appropriately sized and nutritionally balanced. When feeding insects, only offer gut-loaded insects that are no bigger than the space between your lizard’s eyes. Never offer more insects than your lizard can consume within a few minutes, as overfeeding leads to obesity and uneaten insects can chew and damage your lizard’s skin.

Common Feeder Insects

A variety of insects should be rotated in your lizard’s diet to provide complete and balanced nutrition:

– Crickets- Mealworms- Roaches- Calci-worms- Silkworms- Waxworms- Earthworms

Larger insectivorous lizards may also consume mouse pups and earthworms to supplement their diet.

Gut-Loading Insects

One of the most critical practices in reptile nutrition is gut-loading, which involves feeding insects a nutrient-dense diet before offering them to your lizard. Insects should be gut-loaded for six to 12 hours prior to feeding to ensure nutrients are delivered to your pet. A satisfactory high-calcium diet for crickets can be inexpensively made by using 29% wheat middlings, 10% corn meal, 40% ground dry cat or dog food, and 21% ground oyster shell or calcium carbonate.

Within two days after feeding insects a high-calcium diet, the gut of the insect is filled with calcium, raising the calcium concentration to approximately 0.8–0.9% and resulting in a calcium:phosphorus ratio of approximately 1.2:1—a ratio much more appropriate for feeding reptiles.

Vegetables and Greens for Omnivorous and Herbivorous Lizards

Vegetables play a crucial role in the diet of omnivorous and herbivorous lizards, providing essential vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Salads can consist of a combination of various leafy greens and vegetables, with specific percentages varying by species and life stage.

Recommended Leafy Greens

– Romaine lettuce- Green leaf lettuce- Red leaf lettuce- Turnip greens- Mustard greens- Bok choy- Dandelion greens- Collard greens- Kale- Arugula

Recommended Vegetables

– Squash- Zucchini- Sweet potato- Broccoli- Peas- Beans- Okra- Grated carrot- Bell peppers

Vegetables should make up 20–30% of the total diet for omnivorous species like bearded dragons, while herbivorous species like uromastyx lizards should have leafy greens and vegetables as their primary food sources. These species may enjoy the occasional piece of fruit, but fruits should be limited as they are typically lower in nutritional value.

Species-Specific Dietary Requirements

Bearded Dragons

Bearded dragons are excellent examples of how dietary needs change significantly across life stages. Young bearded dragons should be offered live insects as the main component of their diet, comprising about 70% of total intake. Insects fed to bearded dragons should be gut-loaded and calcium-dusted to improve their nutritional value.

Juvenile bearded dragons should be offered food such as salads, vegetables, and live prey items in combination daily. Adults can eat a diet of 70–80% salad greens, 20–30% vegetables, and 2–5% fruit every day. When offering adult bearded dragons live prey items, gut-loaded insects should be offered three to four times per week.

Uromastyx Lizards

Uromastyx lizards are primarily herbivorous and thrive best on a balanced diet of leafy greens—like collard greens, dandelion greens, and mustard greens—and vegetables like squash, bell peppers, and carrots. They may enjoy the occasional piece of fruit as well.

Blue-Tongued Skinks

Blue-tongued skinks are omnivores requiring a varied diet with slightly more than half their diet consisting of animal matter, such as calcium-dusted insects, combined with vegetables and occasional fruits.

Anoles

Anoles require a nutritious and well-balanced diet consisting of gut-loaded insects and worms. For a happy and healthy anole, be sure to vary the type of insects in their diet to provide complete and balanced nutrition.

Specialized Feeders

Some lizards have specialized diets that may be difficult to acquire. Horned lizards, for example, mostly eat ants in the wild, making them challenging pets for most owners. Careful research is essential before acquiring any lizard species to ensure you have access to the proper diet.

Feeding Frequency and Portion Control

Proper feeding frequency depends on your lizard’s age and species. Most lizards need to be fed daily, though feeding schedules vary by life stage and individual species requirements.

Hatchling and Juvenile Feeding

Hatchling and juvenile animals must be fed more often—usually daily until they have reached adulthood. This frequent feeding supports rapid growth and development during critical early life stages.

Adult Feeding Schedules

Once lizards reach adulthood, feeding frequency typically decreases. Full-grown lizards often need feedings reduced to two to three times weekly, though sometimes less depending on the species. Large carnivorous species should be fed once or twice a week.

Appropriate Portion Sizes

Generally speaking, it’s best to offer appropriately sized foods—usually about the size of the lizard’s head—to avoid overfeeding or choking hazards. This simple guideline helps prevent obesity, a common problem in pet lizards, particularly species like bearded dragons and blue-tongued skinks that are prone to overeating in captivity.

Vitamins and Supplementation

Many pet lizards benefit from vitamins and supplements to ensure optimal health and prevent nutritional deficiencies. However, supplementation ultimately depends on your specific lizard species, so consultation with a veterinarian is recommended.

Calcium Supplements

Most lizards benefit from a powdered calcium supplement. Both insects and many vegetables are actually calcium-deficient without additional supplementation. There are few species where no additional calcium is recommended, but those tend to be the exception.

A diet with a balanced vitamin and mineral mixture containing 12% calcium as calcium carbonate can be fed to crickets or mealworm larvae three days before the insect is fed to the lizard. Calcium supplements should be sprinkled or dusted on your lizard’s food before feeding.

Weekly Multivitamins

A weekly multivitamin supplement is beneficial for most lizards. Multivitamins are excellent for helping fill in any vitamin deficiencies that may occur in their diet. Some animals tend to be finicky and may only eat certain items, so this extra supplementation can help ensure nutritional completeness.

Vitamin A Supplementation

Vitamin A deficiency can occur in some lizard species, particularly carnivorous species; therefore, vitamin A should be supplemented as needed based on individual species requirements.

Foods to Avoid

Certain foods should never be offered to pet lizards, as they lack essential nutrients or pose digestive challenges:

– Processed foods like bread and crackers- Sugary snacks- Foods inappropriate for the specific lizard’s dietary category- Insects larger than appropriate for the individual lizard- Uneaten insects left in the enclosure

Reptiles cannot easily digest processed foods, and they also lack the essential nutrients these pets require. Always ensure you’re catering your pet lizard’s meals to their specific species needs by consulting with a veterinarian or conducting thorough species research.

Wild Lizard Diets vs. Captive Requirements

Understanding what wild lizards eat provides valuable insight into captive nutrition. Wild lizards, depending on location, primarily eat insects, spiders, and even other lizards, with fruits and vegetables added in when available. However, replicating wild diets in captivity requires thoughtful planning and the use of commercially available food sources, supplements, and nutritionally-balanced preparations.

Frequently Asked Questions About Lizard Diets

Q: How often should I feed my pet lizard?

A: Feeding frequency depends on your lizard’s age and species. Most juvenile lizards need to be fed daily, while full-grown lizards typically eat two to three times weekly. Always consult your veterinarian for your specific species’ requirements.

Q: What size insects should I feed my lizard?

A: Insects should be no bigger than the space between your lizard’s eyes to prevent choking hazards and overfeeding. Generally, offer prey about the size of the lizard’s head.

Q: Are calcium supplements necessary for all lizards?

A: Most lizards require calcium supplementation, as both insects and many vegetables are calcium-deficient without additional supplementation. There are few species where no additional calcium is recommended, making supplementation essential for most pet lizards.

Q: Can I feed my lizard commercial pelleted food only?

A: While some species do well on non-living commercial food, most lizards benefit from varied whole foods including live prey and fresh vegetables. Some species may even require live prey as part of their diet. Check with your veterinarian about your specific species’ needs.

Q: What should I do if my lizard is overeating?

A: Because many lizard species, particularly bearded dragons and blue-tongued skinks, are voracious eaters and prone to obesity, careful portion control is crucial. Offer appropriately sized foods and reduce feeding frequency if necessary. Consult your veterinarian about weight management strategies.

Q: How do I know if my lizard is receiving adequate nutrition?

A: Regular veterinary checkups, maintaining appropriate body weight, observing active behavior, and ensuring you’re following species-specific dietary guidelines all indicate good nutrition. Your veterinarian can assess nutritional status and recommend adjustments if needed.